1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to sports equipment and more particularly to an archery bow assembly which is especially adapted for hunting, permitting free unimpeded arrow flight but also permitting the arrow to be locked in place on the bow.
2. Prior Art
The usual type of arrow rest is a fixed horizontal ledge attached to the bow sidewall and jutting out into the window above the handle and arrow shelf. The rest may be fabricated of feathers, of leather, plastic or the like and is adapted to support an arrow in the window from below. It presents a potential problem to the archer in that the arrow feathers or vanes, and even the shaft in some instances, may strike the rest as the arrow moves forward immediately after bowstring release. Such striking slows the arrow, wears and eventually damages the vanes and rest, causes arrow wobble and reduces shooting accuracy. As the vanes or feathers wear, they also cause the arrow to change its point of impact and reduce accuracy. This is particularly critical in hunting where the hunter may only have a few real opportunities over a several-day period to make a kill. Each arrow released must be accurate.
Striking of the rest may be avoided if the rest is made narrow enough and if the arrow shaft flexes or bends laterally enough upon release of the bowstring, thus following a pronounced S-curve, as may be the case when the fingers or a finger tab or glove are used in drawing and releasing the bowstring. However, when a mechanical bowstring release is used to draw and release the bowstring, such lateral flexing is diminished very noticeably. This is even more the case when a compound archery bow is shot with a mechanical bowstring release. Moreover, a narrow rest increases the likelihood of the arrow rolling off the rest during hunting before release of bowstring, thus causing a wild shot. In contrast, "pass through" rests have a wide gap between the arrow shaft and sidewall but also are prone to inadvertant fall through between the rest and sidewall before bowstring release, especially during the excitement of the hunt.
Certain arrow rests employ a hinged wire component which is held magnetically in an arrow-supporting position and bridges the gap to the sidewall but which swings forward and closes when struck by the arrow vane or feather. If such a wire is joggled, it can prematurely close, dropping the arrow to the shelf. While such rests reduce arrow wear and deflection, those effects are still noticeably present. Archery shooting requires extreme accuracy to hit distant mobile game. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to be able to provide an improved archery assembly which could assure complete clearance of the arrow shaft and vanes upon shooting the arrow from the bow and also positive holding of the arrow to prevent its inadvertant roll off or fall through the rest. Such assembly should be relatively inexpensive and durable and be particularly adapted for use in bowhunting.
Various types of arrow locks have been added to bows to allow the arrow to be carried on the bow during hunting without danger of it falling off. However, such devices are clumsy, expensive, take valuable room and in some instances are complicated to use. It would be desirable to accomplish the same purposes with a simpler mechanism.